| 释义 |
▪ I. cotch
dial. f. catch.
▪ II. cotch, n. Jamaican.
Brit. |kɒtʃ|, U.S. |kɑtʃ|, Jamaican |katʃ|, |kɑtʃ|
Forms: 19– cotch, 19– kotch
[Either immediately ‹cotch v., or a transferred use of cotch, variant of scotch n.2 with characteristic reduction of initial /sk/ by loss of /s/ in Jamaican English (see note below and compare R. Allsopp Dict. Caribbean Eng. Usage (1996) 492/1).
Compare the following use of cotch in sense 1 of scotch n.2:
1961Daily Gleaner (Kingston, Jamaica) 25 Mar. 8/5, What..is this curious word ‘cotch’ which we use in Jamaica for a prop or wedge placed before or behind a wheel to prevent its moving? ]
A place (esp. a small or confined space) to sleep, rest, or sit temporarily. Cf. cotch v. 1.
1914H. G. de Lisser Jane's Career xiii. 194 Try an' get anoder place to sleep to-night. If y'u caan't, I will give you a cotch when you come home. 1932Daily Gleaner (Kingston, Jamaica) 28 June 8/3, I used to get a little cotch at George Morgan's yard. 1943L. Bennett Jamaica Humour in Dial. 14 Dis ole 'oman can get a kotch, Se' seat yah ole lady. 2004M2 Presswire (Nexis) 1 Dec. Take a kotch by a speaker.
▪ III. cotch, v.
Brit. |kɒtʃ|, U.S. |kɑtʃ|, Jamaican |katʃ|, |kɑtʃ|
Forms: 18– cotch, 19– katch, 19– kotch
[Apparently originally a variant of scotch v.2 (see note below), with characteristic reduction of initial /sk-/ by loss of /s-/ in Jamaican English. Compare cotch n.
R. Allsopp Dict. Caribbean Eng. Usage (1996) 492/1 records a sense of scotch as an intransitive verb in Barbadian English, ‘to find or be given temporary make-do accommodation’ with evidence from 1974 (compare sense 1b).A derivation from French coucher to lie down (see couch v.1) has been suggested but is phonologically problematic and probably represents a folk etymology.]
1. intr. Jamaican.
a. To rest oneself; to lean on something for support.
1895Daily Gleaner (Kingston, Jamaica) 26 Feb. 7/5 They are not suppose [sic] to cotch even for ten minutes... They must be on their legs from seven in the morning invariably until half-past five or six o'clock in the evening. 1942L. Bennett Jamaica Dial. Verses 13 Matty come katch yah soh [on the edge of a tram seat]. 2001Essence July 115 Mawuena, who is neither standing, nor sitting, but kind of cotching on the back of his chair.
b. To stay or sleep somewhere temporarily.
1950L. Bennett et al. Anancy Stories & Dial. Verse 50 So me cotchin' wid Mass U, Miss Q.., Dem ongle got one lickle room. 1962S. Wynter Hills of Hebron i. 20 The obeahman long ago..cotched in a dilapidated hut next door to her hard in Cockpit Centre. 1995L. Gunst Born Fi' Dead Epil. 242, I don't know where I goin' to cotch in Miami.
2. trans. Jamaican. To wedge or block (a wheel, door, etc.) to prevent movement; = scotch v.2 1.
In quot. 1925 in figurative context.
1925Daily Gleaner (Kingston, Jamaica) (Electronic text) 27 Apr. The wheels of progress had been cotched. 1927Daily Gleaner (Kingston, Jamaica) 25 Jun. 14/7 A chauffeur of Kingston was prosecuted..for leaving stones used to kotch his wheels in the road. 1961F. G. Cassidy Jamaica Talk vii. 147 Cotch de door. 1999L. Goodison Turn Thanks ii. 29 We cotched wheels.
3. intr. Chiefly in British Afro-Caribbean usage: to relax, to pass the time idly with friends; to ‘hang out’.
2001Sunday Times 5 Aug. 19/1 They like nothing better than..‘cotching’ in the high street. 2003Independent (Nexis) 14 Jan. 4 Were you..cotching with your homies? 2005Sun (Nexis) 3 Aug. I am well begiggidy about cotching at yours later, blood. We can play that mench PlayStation game. |